The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1887-02-16
A PANS Observation-Disclosures.

q 4r1-tistortlislfiqIt scene OF the Great
Nystery-fio SEers tom a SlsaIl. i
ITO Know exactly what want viii
glre force to. the accomplishment Of NV
mission, said the Yankee in me. And
when the curtain was sraiseSf af 4s3o
O'Clock J was sllugly seated in front Of
the stage of the dininutfve Theatre
Robert uOudin, ready to take, my first
lesson u priirzzir.s What i s.ItE was not
Mt all what 1 expected to see, and man
carefully dressed IN fl1e Conventional
swallOwtail and white crayat holding a.
plaster bust In his hands lust such 4
one as YOU have seen In everv artists
studio, explained that he gEouId endcavor
TO occupy and 10 interest theaudieaice be-
fore the regular performances of n.
Lemsrcler de N.1Iyille. y small table IN
front OF INN occupied the stage. What
he did firSt TO arrest the attention CT the
audience was to pass the pIaster cast of a
female head to q number of his nearest
nelghbors, to confirm tho reality OF the
impression that It was nothing more or
less than tit represented to the ewes
- of all After the examinations had been
duly regulated to the entire satisfaction
of those who handled the proof. tile man
m the swallowtail placed the plaster
bust ON the table waiting for il.
"Hhat he did next was not submitted
to the judgment of the people, but
what we saw certlinly strained my curl
osity and v-onderlncnt as it had never
been strained before, and judging from
the suppressed exclamations around me.
everybody else present experienced the
same strain The plaster bust began to
move under the magic influence of the
Prestidigitateur, and gradually the ewes
OF the model lost their passive stare and
shone with the luStrc Of life. Shadows
% imagination and Thought turned the
rlRd clay into smiling Ito and touched
the grayish hue of the cheeks with ROSY.
dirnpled flesh. Oh, marvel of marveis.
On, CoxlSrui have You converted my
imagination into AN allegOry, or do be
hold a mystery? The swal1owtail did
not let a syllable slip without the authori-
ty Of truth and reality. What expeiient
he made use of 70 light himself by that
torch no man present was wise enough
to say, and one and all waited with eager
zeal to see what was impossible to know.
After life comes DEATH said the
magician. and we saw the transformation;
scene OF that great mystery. The beauti-
full face of the woman without transition
from youth and beauty to illness and
death, gradually gave place to ghastly,
grlnning skull Certainly we were all
tied fast with araazemeTt and the vapor
u what we we coming to was inhaled
At every breath. There was not chink.
not Granny that would furnish the
slightest escape from the conviction that,
whatever of falseness existed In the pere-
grinationS before us, the last one was a
soler-n truth as real az doubt.
Mon Dieulf' heard FrenchwoFnan
behi1Hl say: ,.why did he not show
us mans heads,s ~
It would not have made such sieve
for vanity, tartly responded her COM
panion-
Tie swallowta1 must have been a
disciple of Darwin, for the next thin, he
showed Us. springing up IN all the fresh
ness and beauty of young nature, was an
EXQUISITE bouquet of blooming roses bios
soIninS from buds to the perfection of
full blown fragrance, their bright colors
and sweet breath smiling above the very
EPot where the ugly skull had showed us
In such an mwelcome way the only
problem of life that we know. Where
was the hidden spring or the secret wheel
OF that masterpiece of sleight of hand?
Nothing was visible to the eyes of the ;r1-
dicnce but the gestures of the prestidiei-
tateur- Very soon the flowers began to
wilt and TO give place to that symbol of
dust to dust, and again the fairest and
haPpieSt were obliged TO look at what ma
turc gives man as 4 last souvenir. The
skull climbed out of sight as the lovely
face of woman took its place. Art was
more enduring than all, for it was the
plaster cast that the ssvalIowtail held
fo1tly IN his hands when he bowed his
thanks tn the audience for their respect
fuI attention -PIriS Cor. Chicago Her
aid.